Apple M5 Rumors: Possible Release Date, AI Improvements, Expected Devices, and More

Apple’s upcoming M5 chip promises impressive improvements in performance, efficiency, and AI, but is likely to be at least a year away from release.

Apple introduced its latest M4 chip in the new iPad Pro back in May, and we’re already seeing excellent Geekbench 6 results for the M4. The idea that Apple’s M5 chip could outperform the M4 is wild, but not unexpected, especially considering the fact that the M5 chip could be the first to use 2nm process technology.

We still don’t know much about Apple’s next-generation M5 chip, such as detailed spec upgrades and AI features. But thanks to early leaks, rumors, and speculation, we can gather quite a bit about the M5 chip, from what devices we can expect to see it on to its release date and price.

Latest News (Updated 7/5/2024)

Apple M5: Release Date and Price

Apple’s M4 chip has barely even launched for the iPad Pro, and we don’t even have a release date for the M4 Pro, M4 Max, or M4 Ultra chips yet. So it’s likely we’ll have to wait a bit for Apple’s M5 chip.

However, if we look at Apple’s previous chip launch dates, we can accurately estimate when the M5 chip might be announced.

Basic M2 layout: June 2022
M2 Pro and M2 Max: January 2023
M2 Ultra: June 2023
The entire M3 series: October 2023
Basic M4 layout: May 2024
M4 Pro version: To determine

While previous timelines for Apple’s Pro, Max, and Ultra variants of its chips have varied, the company tends to release a new base chip every year. Looking at the dates above, it seems likely that Apple could release its M5 chip in Power Or June 2025.

Man using iPad Pro with Apple Pencil on wooden desk

(Photo source: Apple)

That said, the report from Digital times suggests Apple is working on AI cloud computing chips that could be part of its M5 lineup. It says these chips will “enter mass production at TSMC in the second half of 2025.”

If Apple launches all of its M5 chips at once, as it did with the M3 series, October 2025 release date might be more likely.

As for the price, there’s a good chance we won’t see any price increases between the M4 and M5 devices. The 11-inch iPad Pro M4 has seen a $200 price increase over its predecessor, so the chances of another price hike for the iPad Pro M5 are slim.

That said, take all of this with a grain of salt. We don’t know anything official from Apple yet, and we likely won’t for a while.

Apple M5: Possible Variants

While we don’t yet have final information on possible M5 variants, Apple is quite predictable on this matter.

The basic version of the M5 will probably debut first, followed by three more powerful versions: M5 Pro, M5 Max and M5 Ultra.

MacBook Air 15 M3 with the lid closed on a wooden table

(Photo credit: Laptop Mag/Sean Riley)

Of course, it’s possible that Apple will change its mind and release three or five M5 variants. However, given the company’s history, we’re pretty sure there will be four unique M5 variants, likely the M5 Pro and M5 Max will be released together after the base M5 variant, and then the M5 Ultra chip will be released last.

However, it’s important to remember that Apple released all the M3 variants at once so that the company could prepare for the same with the M5 series.

Apple M5: Expected Devices

Thanks to some investigation by X user Nicolás Álvarez, we now know which four iPads could be the first to feature Apple’s upcoming M5 chip:

iPad17.1 – M5 11-inch Pro Wi-Fi
iPad17.2 – M5 11-inch Pro Cellular
iPad17.3 – M5 13-inch Pro Wi-Fi
iPad17.4 – M5 13-inch Pro Cellular

Initially, we only had iPad identifiers like iPad 17.1, iPad 17.2, etc. However, thanks to a popular tweet from @aaronp613 and guesses from @AppleDBdev what devices the identifiers might represent, we learned that Apple’s iPad Pro will likely be the first device to feature the M5 processor.

This theory doesn’t seem all that far-fetched, as Apple already released the M5 processor in its new iPad Pro back in May.

More devices will certainly feature the M5 processor, but we only know about these four potential iPad Pro models.

Apple M5: Specs

As of yet, we don’t have any leaked benchmarks or performance estimates for the M5 chip since it’s most likely not finished yet.

It wouldn’t be crazy to assume that the M5 processor will be significantly more powerful than the M4 processor, but we don’t know by how much.

Apple M4 Spec Sheet

(Photo source: Apple)

Currently, the biggest rumor surrounding the specs of Apple’s M5 chip is that it could be the first chip to use 2-nanometer technology.

This “2-nanometer technology” basically refers to the design principles used for integrated circuits. Silicon made using 2-nanometer technology will have more transistors in a smaller space, compared to the 3-nanometer technology used by Apple’s M3 and M4 chips. More transistors means better performance and more efficient power consumption.

According to Digital times (By MacRumors), in January 2024, “Apple was widely believed to be the first customer to adopt the (2-nanometer) process.”

Apple M5 Chip: AI Features

The AI industry is evolving at a rapid pace, and Apple’s M5 chip will undoubtedly be even more AI-based than the current M4 chip.

Currently, the Neural Engine in Apple’s M4 chip delivers up to 38 trillion operations per second, which the company says is 60 times faster than its first Neural Engine. The M5 chip will likely have a more powerful Neural Engine that will be able to deliver better AI performance.

Photographic illustration of the colorful Apple M4 chip popping out of the MacBook Pro control board

(Photo source: Future photo illustration)

According to Digital timesApple will reportedly use an advanced small form factor integrated circuit (SOIC) from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for its next-generation silicon, which “could signal a strategy that covers all the bases from AI PCs to AI cloud applications.” This change in how Apple makes chips hints at potentially more robust AI performance.

But Apple must be careful not to let its hardware outpace its software. A powerful chip is nothing without powerful, intuitive software that matches its capabilities.

Perspectives

The Apple M5 chip could be around a year away from launch, so the current rumors and leaks about it are pretty impressive. This powerful successor to the M4 chip will likely boast improvements in performance, efficiency, and AI capabilities, and we can’t wait.

We hope Apple releases its more powerful M4 variants — the M4 Pro, M4 Max, and M4 Ultra — later this year to get a better idea of just how powerful the M5 chip can be. If the M5 chip really is the first to use 2nm process technology, we can’t wait to test it out.

The next Apple event this year will likely take place in September, but there likely won’t be any new information about the M5 chip. Instead, we’ll hear everything about the upcoming iPhone 16.